How is your goofy skate and kite? Skate being the ultimate determinant IMO as it requires the most skill/finesse (trickboard not longboard/cruiser) similar to shortboard surfing.

If you wish to kite waves on a surfboard being able to ride switch is a massive bonus.

bene313 said..
How is your goofy skate and kite? Skate being the ultimate determinant IMO as it requires the most skill/finesse (trickboard not longboard/cruiser) similar to shortboard surfing.

If you wish to kite waves on a surfboard being able to ride switch is a massive bonus.

Goofy skate is horrible but goofy kiting is almost as good as natural

I surf natural & I used to skate heaps in my younger days as a goofy foot. Still have a double kick I tic-tac around occasionally, but don't go for ollies or anything these days.

Snowboarded 8 times now & feel comfy either way, but preferred to face the mountain up until my last time in April when I finally felt comfortable turning on my backside & now prefer goofy snowboarding.

Added a longboard to the quiver 2 years ago for the smaller days & started switchfooting a lot over the last year. Considering your generally not figure 8'ing with LB's, switch footing can add another extra element for fun. Especially when waves are only 1/2 way to your knee.

Embrace switchfooting & go with whatever feels natural or fun for you. In the long run it can only benefit you. The first time I thought about it was when I went to a cable ski park. I didn't know which way I should stand & ended up opting for the way that felt most comfortable holding the cable.

With a bit of practice though, although you'll probably prefer standing one way over the other in critical situations. Switchfooting gets easier with practice. Check out the late great Buttons Kaluhiokalani of Hawaii for some epic switchfoot surfing

Mick and Toad - if you guys can skate one way and surf the other, surely the skills are interchangeable? So you should be able to skate or surf either way.

Toad you used to kite goofy but I remember you kiting natural on rights...

bene313 said..
Mick and Toad - if you guys can skate one way and surf the other, surely the skills are interchangeable? So you should be able to skate or surf either way.

Toad you used to kite goofy but I remember you kiting natural on rights...

Anyone can with enough practice imo...its like, say trying to do nollie's...nose ollies on a skateboard, its the reverse action of a normal ollie & feels hell weird at first. But after practicing enough you eventually get used to it.....been meaning to get into wind surfing for years, got a board now. Just need the rest of the gear

Never force change in what come naturaly as far as stancce is concerned with surfing. Ambidexterity is a gift for surfers, if your just starting out keep your pop up as it is ,keep it natural, get comfortable switch footing ( As you have a head start on others with this skill), and it will become fluently effortless as you improve.

Dont over think it unless theres a problem.

The simple test to find out which is your preferred stance is stand face to face with someone with you hands down by your side , feet parallel and spread the same as your shoulder width ..have the the other person push you backwards, the foot you place behind first to steady you will determine which way you should be most comfortable surfing .
If it changes over a few attempts ..?

Turn on the footy
drink a dozen beers and repeat in the pursuit of scientific endeavour!

everyone wins